


The Perfect Presents

by Lhugy_for_short



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Boys In Love, Christmas Fluff, Gladio is a sap, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Prompto is all he wants for Solstice, Still manages to be all fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 02:20:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17235506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lhugy_for_short/pseuds/Lhugy_for_short
Summary: Prompto's out of town on a job, and it looks like he won't make it home in time for the holidays. What's a lonely Gladio to do without him?





	The Perfect Presents

**Author's Note:**

  * For [InkTail](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkTail/gifts).



> For Inktail! I was a pinch-hitter for your fic, so sorry it's a bit on the short side ^^;; One of your requests was for Promptio (or OT4) and gift-giving, so I hope you like how this turned out! Thank you for all you do, and Happy Holidays!

 

Gladio’s making his way out of the store when his phone rings. The trill of it is almost lost over the Solstice music playing overhead and the din of the last-minute shoppers, but he catches it just in time. He’s not expecting the call, of course - most everyone he knows texts him, and the rest don’t really keep in touch - but the name that flashes across the screen is the one he expected to see least of all. 

“Babe?” he answers quickly, hoping he’s got the volume right on his voice. 

The reply, when it comes, lacks the cheerful tone Prompto usually uses when they chat. “Hey, Gladdy. Sorry, is this a good time?” 

“Yeah, baby. Always.” Shuffling himself into an alcove inside the department store, Gladio adjusts both his bags and the phone against his ear. “What’s up? I thought you were out in the field tonight.”

“I am. Right now, actually, I’m calling from a campsite.” There’s a laugh, and it sounds distinctively tired. “We’ve been out here  _ all day,  _ Gladdy. I think even my cold’s caught a cold.” 

“Just one more night, yeah? You’ll be home in the morning, and I’ll be sure to warm you right up,” he grins, expecting Prompto will probably be flushing on the other end. 

Instead, he gets a sigh. “That’s...sorta why I’m calling. Listen, I know we were only supposed to be out here a week tops, but we’re having real bad luck with this one.”

“Prom…?”

“It’s either picked up our scent and went into hiding or, I dunno, something else. Whatever’s causing it, we haven’t had a single sighting yet.” A shuffling, and there are some noises in the background. Prompto’s voice turns away for a second while he and one of the hunters discuss a piece of equipment. The pause gives Gladio’s heart more time to sink into his stomach. He looks around - at the decorations, the sale signs, the people carrying festive bags - and feels disappointment grow inside him like a lead weight. 

The distant conversation on the phone draws to an end. Prompto comes back, voice even more strained that before. “Sorry, babe. You still there?” 

“Yeah. But Prom…. Tomorrow’s Solstice Eve.”

“I...I know.”

“We had, y’know, plans. And stuff. Are you...not gonna make it home?” 

“Gladdy, I…. I’m really sorry. The guys don’t wanna go back empty-handed, or it’s like we came all the way out here for nothing.” 

In the suddenly stifling air of the department store, Gladio sucks in a breath. He understands, he really does. The only person he’s ever met more passionate about his profession than him is Prompto, and he absolutely loves him for it. Loves how excited he gets when he snaps the perfect photograph, loves his dedication to detail in each and every shot. And he knows, as all their friends and family do, how important this latest lead is for him. If Prompto gets what he’s after - a close-up of the legendary Elder Coeurl in the flesh - it’ll cement his career. It will mean publications and book-signings and never having to scrape for freelance projects ever again. 

So yeah, Gladio gets it. But can he really be blamed for wanting to spend the most romantic holiday of the year with the man he loves? “No. No, it’s okay, babe. You’ve put too much into it to give up now. I know you’ll get your chance. Just hang in there.” 

Something on the other end of the line sounds suspiciously like a sniffle. “You mean it? Thanks, Gladdy. I promise to make it up to you.” 

“You better.”

“Are blowjobs an acceptable form of payment?” 

Despite the mood, he can hear the attempt at a smile in Prompto’s voice, and he mirrors it. “I guess that’s a start, yeah. Stay safe out there, Prom.” 

“I love you.”

“Love you, too. Night, baby.” 

The call ends, and the music that’s still playing overhead feels...different. Emptier, somehow, like it can feel the hollowness in Gladio’s chest and is echoing deep inside it.  _ Solstice,  _ he grumps to himself _. Big deal. Who needs it anyway?  _

Gladio shifts his shopping bags to his other hand and stares down at his phone. It’s safe to say he isn’t really in the gift-buying kind of mood anymore, but neither does he particularly want to go back to an empty apartment and stare at their gaudy tree with those little cactuar ornaments Prompto insisted on getting. So he does the next best thing: he texts Noct to say he’s on the way over.

_ With Garbucks _ , he adds as an afterthought. That way, no matter what he’s inevitably interrupting, Iggy won’t be able to stay mad at him for too long. 

Luckily, there are about three of the overpriced coffee shops between his current location and the parking lot. Gladio takes off in the direction of the nearest one, zipping through the crowds of cheerful couples as quickly as humanly possible. Past storefronts and bargain signs, trying to ignore the bright colors, the sweet deals, the usually irresistible free food samples because all of it seems pointless now that the one thing he wants for Solstice is the one thing he won’t be able to have.

But then, despite his best attempts, something catches his eye after all. It’s...actually pretty hard to miss, consider it’s as large as a wall and blocking his path forward to the exits. An advertisement - but not for just any old stocking stuffer. It’s an ad for the newest LOKTON LX-X1R Deluxe. 

Gladio knows absolutely nothing about cameras. Even after living with a professional wildlife photographer for two years, he can barely tell the difference between a regular and a wide-angle lens. But what he  _ does  _ know is that Prompto’s been talking for weeks about this new camera like it’s some kind of paragon of photography perfection.

And it’s exactly the gift Gladio’s been searching for. 

He weighs the options in his mind for a moment. Decides, after very little deliberation, that a belated Solstice holiday is better than none at all, and shoots Noct another rapid text. 

_ Be there in a few. Gotta make a pit stop.  _

* * *

As expected, it’s an...uneventful day at home. Gladio spends it cleaning up around the apartment, watching a few of the same, cheesy holiday movies he does every year, and polishing off the bottle of wine Ignis gave him as an early Solstice present. The weather turns colder - even starts snowing around sunset - and that’s his cue to curl up under a blanket with a good book.

In a way, it’s kind of relaxing. But Gladio’s never been good with idle hands, and it’s been too long since he’s had both a day off work  _ and _ no Prompto to keep him distracted. Several times he considers calling him; even gets so far as to pull out his phone before remembering Prom probably won’t have his on him, anyway.  _ Loud noises will spook the animals _ , he’s explained at least half a dozen times before.  _ I promise to call you when I can talk.  _

Well, no calls yet, and there likely won’t be any until well after dark. Until the snow and cold finally forces Prom’s team to head back to camp, but even then Gladio knows not to get his hopes up. His boyfriend’s determination in the face of overwhelming odds is, after all, why he fell in love with him in the first place. And he’s learned to be patient. 

That’s why, after a long soak in the tub and a slice of cheat-day Solstice cake (not like anyone is around to catch him, anyway), he decides to turn in early for the night. In the morning, there will be family to call and people to see and holiday brunches to attend. But the way he sees it, at least all the distraction will put him that much closer to Prompto coming home. 

Leaving his phone next to his pillow (just in case), he climbs into bed, tucks the blankets - to which his boyfriend’s scent lingers - up to his chin, and switches off the lamp in hopes that the dawn will bring him better news. 

Sleep comes slowly, but eventually it comes. Amber eyes fall closed as Gladio slips in and out of his dreams for a while. They’re vague, no more than blurs of color and almost-familiar faces against a backdrop of the Solstice carols he’s been hearing non-stop for the past month. Not quite warm or cozy enough to replace the missing weight beside him in bed, but entracing all the same. 

Which is why, when the front door opens and closes again downstairs, Gladio doesn’t notice right away. Distantly, he hears the creak of floorboards outside the room. Sleeps right through the twist of the door handle, and absorbs that, too, into his dreams. Even the shifting of the blankets as the mattress dips isn't enough to pull him out of slumber. 

But the sudden brush of lips against his cheek certainly do the trick. 

“ _ Mmf… _ ?” 

“Happy Solstice, Gladdy.”

“Sol…huh? Babe?” In the dark, he has to rub his eyes several times to make out the shape of the body hovering over him. Thankfully, even without the telltale tufts of hair glowing pale yellow in the moonlight, Gladio would recognize Prompto anywhere. That's his voice, his scent, his familiar (and oh-so-welcome) weight on top of him. Almost like he’s still dreaming, and finally getting to the best parts. 

But this isn't a dream. It can't be, Gladio’s heart is pounding too fast. 

“Yep,” Prompto answers, careful to keep his voice low, gentle. “Sorry I'm late. I tried to make it before midnight, but--”

“Prom? You’re...really here?” 

“ _ Mmhmm _ .” The body on top of him shifts, closer now as Prompto dips in for another kiss to the tip of his nose. “We got the shots just before sundown. The coeurl was beautiful, Gladdy. I wish you could have seen it.”

Gladio’s head is still spinning, but the shock has already turned to excitement, and is settling into some sort of warm, fuzzy feeling in the general vicinity of his chest. He recognizes that feeling, because it’s the one he always feels around Prompto; a sort of happy, dopey, tangled-up-under-the-sheets emotion that makes him want to reach out and tug his boyfriend down against him. 

So he does. “Wow. I bet it was gorgeous, babe,” he grins into the warmth of Prompto’s cheek. “Like you.” 

A hum. Prom’s arms slip around Gladio’s shoulders and he stretches out cat-like above the sheets between them. “You’re such a sap. But I missed you.” 

“I missed you, too.” 

“Anything  _ exciting _ happen while I was gone?” Prompto none-too-subtly rolls his body down when he asks, his hips accentuating his point even through the blanket. “Did you get up to any trouble?”

“Heh. You know it, babe. Here.” Switching on the lamp requires him to unwrap his arms from around Prom’s waist, but the payoff will be worth it. Especially once he catches sight of the clock on the nightstand -  _ one fifty-six.  _ Perfect. “Go check in the closet. On the shelf, next to the books.” 

Blue eyes blink at him for a moment. Now he can see Prompto’s face in the light; soft lips parted in question, his freckled cheeks tinged pink with the cold outside, or something else. Still, curiosity gets the better of him (it always does) and he hops off the bed momentarily to fetch whatever he’s supposed to be looking for. 

“What’s this?” he asks, settling back down on the mattress with the brightly-wrapped box in his lap. Gladio pushes himself up onto his elbow, runs a hand back through his sleep-mussed mane. 

“Your present. Go on, open it up. It’s technically Solstice already.” 

“But, Gladdy….”

“Go on, babe.” He wishes he had his own camera on him, if for no other reason than to capture the look on Prompto’s face the second he tears into the gift. Piece after piece of wrapping paper falls to the floor, each one revealing more of the treasure within. 

“ _ No way,”  _ he whispers, again and again. “No freaking way. Gladio, where did you--?  _ How  _ did you?!” 

“Happy Solstice, Prom.” 

“This is the the new LOKTON! I can’t even…!” The lid of the box flies open, and Prompto lifts the camera out with shaking hands. Holds it up in front of him like it’s some kind of masterpiece, and then pulls his tear-brimmed eyes away long enough to gape down at his boyfriend. “...I love you.” 

A smirk. “Do you mean that, or are you still talking to the camera?” 

“Gladio!” There’s a half-pout on Prom’s lips as, gripping his present tight in one hand, he throws himself back down into his larger boyfriend’s waiting arms. Kisses him hard on the lips, like he’s afraid anything less won’t be able to convey the depths of his emotions. And finally, when he pulls back to catch his breath, he smiles. “Thank you. Really, Gladdy. This is...way too nice. And I….”

“What is it, Prom?” 

“I didn’t, um, get you anything. I-I planned to grab something on the way home, but it was so late and….” 

“Hey.” Prompto’s eyes are wet, but he clings to Gladio as he focuses in on him, eager to hear what he has to say. “You  _ are _ my present. You’re all I wanted for Solstice, Prom. Nothing could make me happier than having you home right now.” 

“Gladdy….” 

Still holding him close, Gladio pats around on the sheets beside them until his fingers land on the bow from Prompto’s gift. He sticks it right to the top of blond locks, a shiny red ribbon to match the flush of Prom’s cheeks. “ _ See.  _ You’d look great under the tree.” 

It takes a moment, but finally Prompto’s laughing. The tears in his eyes are as much tears of joy as they are of surprise, and no matter how many times he wipes them away, more keep building up in the corners. “Does this mean,” he giggles against Gladio’s lips. “That you get to  _ unwrap _ me in the morning?” 

“Why wait?” 

“ _ Mmm!”  _ He’s lifted up, and the blankets are tossed aside in favor of Gladio rolling Prompto under him. More kisses, more laughing, and somehow in the midst of it all they at least get the camera out of harm’s way. It ends up on the nightstand, placed there by Prompto’s trembling fingers as Gladio’s mouth works its way under too many layers of clothes. 

Those, too, eventually join the wrapping paper on the floor. 

And while outside the snow is falling,  _ inside _ the fire is burning red-hot. It’s the perfect present, really; the kind that keeps on giving again and again and again all night long. And it’s all Gladio has ever wanted. 

 


End file.
